Day 39 (Sunday): From the Deep Forest to Canal Street ... from peace to chaos!

Sunday was a day of contrasts. My morning started out great ... got to connect with a good friend unexpectedly; as soon as that conversation was over, I headed into the City on a mission. My dear friend's son was injured by a gang of thuggy kids the night before, and we had to pick him up from a friend's home. (Thankfully, her son is okay, given a release by the emergency room doc. He had some bad bruising and a mild concussion.) I drove my friend so as to give her a chance to "decompress" a bit. The contrast of where we live -- on a beautiful park-like piece of property complete with weeping willow and babbling stream -- to Canal Street in lower Manhattan where we ended up at the end of the day is stark, to say the least. Just driving in lower Manhattan can add gray hairs to one's head. There must have been a gazillion "shoppers" out and about, and the traffic was bumper to bumper. Oy vay, as my buddy would say!

I managed to eat fairly well, despite the weird flow of the day. Had a banana and a tangerine in the morning and some brown-rice California nori roll for lunch. For dinner I had my old stand-by, summer squash "angel hair pasta" w/ pesto sauce made with fresh basil and pignoli nuts (pinenuts). All in all, a good day.

Day 38 (Saturday): Mt. Sinai Medical Center Study - Cooked Food Affects Health

It was a beautiful spring day and the morning and early afternoon was spent reading and sunning on the deck munching a delicious cantelope. Even Keely the dog enjoyed some slices of the juicy fruit. Had zuccini "pasta" with marinara sauce for lunch and can't remember what I ate for dinner (I'm writing this on Monday afternoon). :-)
That zuccini angel-hair "pasta" is becoming my meal of choice, I've noticed. It's easy to make, filling, tastes good and is super loaded with all those enzymes, etc.

Below is an exerpt from (and the link to) an interesting article I came across recently, entitled "Study Shows Food Preparation May Play a Bigger Role in Chronic Disdease Than Was Previously Thought."

How your food is cooked may be as important to your health as the food itself. Researchers now know more about a new class of toxins that might soon become as important a risk factor for heart disease and metabolic disorders as trans fats.

This class of toxins, called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), are absorbed into the body through the consumption of grilled, fried, or broiled animal products, such as meats and cheeses. AGEs, which are also produced when food products are sterilized and pasteurized, have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, diabetes, vascular and kidney disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

A new study at Mount Sinai School of Medicine reveals that AGE levels are elevated in the blood of healthy people, and even more so in older individuals than in younger people. Of particular interest was the finding that a major determinant of the blood levels of AGEs is the amount of AGEs in the diet, not dietary calories, sugar, or fat. The study, which was done in collaboration with, and supported by, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), is published in the April issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

"AGEs are quite deceptive, since they also give our food desirable tastes and smells," says Helen Vlassara, MD, senior study author, Director of the Division of Experimental Diabetes and Aging, and Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "So, consuming high amounts of grilled, broiled, or fried food means consuming significant amounts of AGEs, and AGEs in excess are toxic. People should be given information about their AGE intake and be advised to consider their intake in the same way they would think about their trans fats and salt intake. They should be warned about their AGE levels the way they are about their cholesterol levels or cigarette smoking."

Full article here:

Mt. Sinai Study

On Cancer and a Vegetarian Diet

Day 37 (Friday): Love Thyself ... no matter what!

Well, I can see why a 40-day fast is so significant. If one can make it 40 days doing ANYTHING consistentely "right" it's quite the accomplishment. Well, I didn't. As this log is about being honest with myself (and accountable and committed), I have to write a little about yesterday afternoon.

I don't know if it was the colonic (stirring up and releasing toxins and thus kicking in an extreme craving for white flour and sugar), if it was because I had a good deal of cooked food the night before, or if it was just a weak moment due to not having eaten very much earlier in the day, but yesterday afternoon at work I went to the cafeteria about 2:30 p.m., and proceeded to have the following:

a large portion of pasta salad,
one large chocolate chip cookie,
two small butter cookies,
an apricot croissant, and
a cup of coffee (very strong) :-(

I felt like a woman possessed (as they say)!

It's all I'll say about my "deviant" behavior. I'm back on track today, and since I'm living in the NOW, being back on track is the best place I could possibly be, eh?

Today, I had some strawberries and an orange and banana for breakfast; for lunch I had a simple romaine lettuce salad w/ tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms and slightly steamed cauliflower and a side of a 3-grain dish w/ roasted veggies mixed in. I'm about to head out of the office for the weekend and plan to have my favorite zuccini/summer squash "pasta" w/ marinara sauce for dinner.

Tomorrow I have a wedding to attend and it'll be interesting to see what my body feels like it wants to eat while there. I decided at the outset of this to approach all special occasions as just that (such as Easter) and enjoy small portions of whatever my body feels it would like to eat. If this becomes drudgery or burdensome, it wouldn't be worth it. The trick is to keep "special occasions" limited ... so they stay "special" ... and stay honest with myself about what I choose.

When I'm feeling as though the food available to me is limited, I'll take a peak at this list of "All Raw Foods" (which I just found on Karen Knowler's website) and have a chuckle. How could one ever feel deprived?

1. Fresh fruits
2. Vegetables
3. Salad vegetables
4. Leafy green vegetables
5. Herbs
6. Wild greens
7. Nuts
8. Dried fruits
9. Beans, pulses and legumes (sprouted)
10. Grains (sprouted)
11. Seeds
12. Sprouting seeds
13. Indoor greens
14. Vegetable seeds (brocolli, mustard, cress etc.)
15. Edible flowers
16. Mushrooms
17. Sea vegetables
18. Algaes
19. Oils
20. Stimulants (onion, garlic, cayenne pepper etc.)
21. Spices
22. Flavourings and sweeteners (cacao, agave nectar, mesquite meal etc.)
23. Superfoods
24. Other handy additions (nut butters, seed butters, flax crackers etc.)

Here's to an active and "light" weekend!

Days 35 and 36: Unexpected Advice and Yummy Yams

Day 35 (Wednesday): I started the day with an avocado in the morning (just felt like having one), and didn't eat anything more until about 3:30 p.m. when I began to eat the cut-up fruit I'd brought from home (a red pear, a green apple, a juicy orange and half of a mango). I "feasted" on those throughout the afternoon.

The reason I had such a long break between meals is that this afternoon I had my first of six hydro sessions (euphemism for you know what). I received some unexpected advice from my 'hydrodoc' (who is stunningly beautiful, btw -- so healthy looking it's scary, white-white-WHITEs surround her sparkling hazel eyes, her skin is flawless and she's slender as a reed. Her disposition is upbeat to the max, ever encouraging and positive (without being obnoxious). The advice was that I was eating too MUCH uncooked food for just starting out! She said I'd see faster results (in terms of cleaning out my system, increased energy, weight loss, etc.) if I introduced some cooked food in the evenings, mainly vegetables. In other words, to do the raw thing more gradually.

She said my body was a bit in shock due to the drastic change in foods, and the body will tend to go into survival mode then, SLOWING down in metabolism, as well as detox, weight loss, etc. She likened it to putting too much soap into a dirty load of laundry without adding adequate water to MIX with the cleanser and disperse it better to all the 'clothes' ... said that all the live food was the "soap" but that when a system is toxic -- and anyone eating the SAD diet has a toxic body -- one needs to keep eating some cooked foods, along with the larger amount of raw, to keep the bod from going into this near "shock" and slowdown. (I remember hearing in one of my lectures that this was crucial in transitioning, but somehow in my zeal, I'd forgotten it. Another bump in the road, but at least it's corrected.)

So in the evening, she recommended I have some steamed or roasted veggies (she highly recommended yams) and a piece of fish if I wanted it. That's exactly what I ended up having: an assortment of roasted veggies mixed with some orzo (which was really good) and a slice of poached fish over mesclun greens with some grape tomatoes. I got it in the evening caff here at work (many work-a-holic lawyers here often eat breakfast/lunch/dinner at work; sad really). After eating all that fruit in the late afternoon, I couldn't finish the dinner, so I had the rest later at home.

It was great to connect with Joyce (my hydrotherapist) again. She remembered me from about a year and a half ago, but didn't recognize me when I walked in the door. I cut and colored my hair since then and had some necessary (but lovely) dental work done -- which was why I'd discontinued going to her in the first place ... I couldn't afford both). She is very excited about my transitioning to healthier eating/living and told me I could call her anytime I had questions, etc. I'll be seeing her weekly for the next six weeks. (It's what is recommended if one is going to make this transition on a fast-track, which is what I want to do, because going too gradually will be a stumbling block for me. If I ease into this too slowly, I don't think I'll stay as focused and committed as I want to stay. This is true for me. Every person is unique and people have to figure out what's best for their own bodies.

Day 36 (Thursday): Early in the morning at home I made a banana-blueberry smoothie with a splash of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and brought an assortment of fruits to nibble on throughout the day (pear, green apple, a 1/2 pint of blueberries). Feel like going light today so won't have a salad until late this afternoon. Feeling a bit full (maybe from eating the volume of cooked food I did last night)? Actually, as of about 11:30 (when this entry is being made), I haven't eaten much of the fruit.

So all in all, I'm pleased with how yesterday went and how today is going.

Check out the new video clips on the right -- Fast Food Nation trailer and behind-the-scenes making of the movie. I'm going to see about getting the DVD for my ever-growing "Go-Raw Library."

Day 34 (Tuesday): Win, Place or Show

I never usually get involved in work-related "special" days (like "Fashion Show at the Office" and such), but today the firm celebrated "Staff Appreciation Day" and hosted a horse race/betting table sort of event, using three trivia games, the first being for "win" and the second and third games being for "place" and "show." A buddy here talked me into being on one of the teams (of 10) and we (or rather our "horse," who we named Big Red) won first place. Each of us received an envelope with $30 cash in it. Earlier they gave us $25 American Express gift checks -- so today I was blessed with fifty-five dollars I hadn't counted on ... a pleasant surprise.

Now I can go buy more FRUIT!

Speaking of which, this morning I had a banana and my green juice power "scrub." I felt like I wanted more cucumber, so I asked the juice gal to put in two whole cucumbers. Used apple instead of carrot to cut the bitterness of the kale, and it was very good. At the "continental breakfast" table provided by the firm I had a few fresh blackberries and strawberries, and succumbed to two mini cranberry scones (one of few times in the past month I've had white flour). For lunch I had a medium salad, and for dinner I had my usual zucchini "pasta" with raw sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, pine nuts and lemon juice.

For exercise, I walked from the train station this morning, and made sure to walk a couple of "laps" at work (one floor in my office building is huge ... at least an eighth of a mile if you walk it square, I'd guess.) I'm easing into walking again because I'd hurt my knee in an ice slip not long ago (totally wrenching a weak knee from a previous injury), and only now is it feeling its old self again. Must be all those nutrients ... it was taking its sweet time healing up until about two weeks ago.

What I've noticed on this raw food experiment of mine -- now it's gone beyond mere experiment, truth be told -- is that my world has sort of "shrunk" as I focus loads of time on learning all I can about the subject (nutrients, raw food preparation and such). To that end, I've been amassing quite the reference library: I've ordered and am in the process of viewing "un-cooking" instruction videos and lectures on DVD by all sorts of people (Dr. Fred Bisci, Paul Nissan, Alissa Cohen, and a couple of cool women from the UK, Karen Knowler and Angela Stokes, whom I met at a lecture here in NYC recently); have secured a few classic reference books, my latest being the quintessential Complete Guide to Vegetables, with stunning photos and illustrations, showing nutrient density, etc.).

I've read the works of Gabriel Cousins and David Wolfe, and am reading anything by the old timers I can get my hands on too -- people like Arnold Ehret, Ann Wigmore (just finished her autobiography -- she founded the Hippocrates Institute -- what an amazing woman!), Bernard Jensen, Norman Walker and Viktoras Kulvinskas. I also subscribe by email to several newsletters and blogs by folks like Nomi Shannon, Storm and Jinjee Telifero (The Garden Diet), and Frederic Patenaude and have downloaded several volumes of his magazine, Just Eat An Apple, which has terrific articles.

Brief interview with Angela Stokes - Lost over 100 lbs.

Some Notable Raw Foodies

I feel a bit obsessive, yet I know that I need to focus sharply in this manner so down the road it'll be a way of being for me rather than simply something I'm "doing." I'll be intense in this kind of learning mode for at least another six months, I figure. By then I hope to be in a rhythm and flow where I won't be obsessive, just informed and aware. The reason is that I want this to be a way of life for myself, not just something I do to reach optimum health, and then once there, say, "Okay, I can eat this again, I can eat that again." Because it's the eating of all the "dead" stuff that had gotten me unhealthy in the first place (not solely, but primarily)! And I'm not ever going back to that place.

Kinda like when once you've really longed for the truth about something and discovered it ... there's just no going back.

Day 33 (Monday): Thanksgiving

I'm feeling very thankful today. Maybe the sun-drenched morning has something to do with that. (I was really sick of cold, rainy, sun-less days. Weather doesn't tend to get to me, but for some reason this year my tolerance for inclement weather was low. Perhaps it was my eagerness to begin this health adventure that's made me long for sun?)

Anyway, found myself being thankful for the little things (which aren't so little, really) -- you know, stuff like legs that work, arms that swing the right way when I walk, eyesight, hearing, etc. Then I found myself drifting in thought to being glad I'm on a healing path that's just right for me. Seems we all have to find what works best for us as individuals, and I'm on the right path for me ... so I'm glad.

This morning I had about five or six strawberries in my car driving to the station. At 11:30 a.m., I broke out a container of cantelope (I chopped up a whole cantelope last night so I could bring it to work) and ate it all in about a half hour! Dee-lish.

I'm heading out for a walk in mid-town Manhattan (hardly a peaceful sort of neighborhood) and will stop at Bunchberries for a veggie/salad lunch, and finish Norman Walker's Become Younger. His basic teachings are grounding me well, I think. He's simple and clear. To paraphrase, "Real food, designed for humans, grows from the earth; eat it."

More later.

Day 32 (Sunday): Here's to brilliant men :-)

WHAT a glorious day today! The weather was heavenly (well, if there's anything remotely like a heaven, I'm sure today -- comparatively speaking -- would actually be drek, but you get the drift.) On top of it all, it seemed to last forever, which always makes a Sunday sweeter, since the work grind starts anew in the a.m.

I did great today, food-wise. During the morning, I had a banana and an orange; for lunch I had the rest of that tabouli salad with some fresh grape tomatoes (that were as sweet as candy); later this afternoon I made a delicious tomato/pinenut pesto that was out-of-this-world (according to Jami, my dear friend and "guinea pig" for all my new recipes) which I put over summer squash pasta (I like that simple meal). I always feel refreshed after eating it, not full but satisfied. Tonight I'm going to have stuffed portabello mushrooms, using an avacado I have that's just about to "turn."

Five areas I plan to improve this month:

(1) daily exercise;
(2) meditation/prayer time;
(3) better preparation of food (planning ahead)
(4) drinking more water;
(5) taking active detoxing steps (i.e., weekly colonics/dry brush massage each evening, and perhaps even a professional massage).

I'll be "grading" myself on each of them weekly. (This blog is all about holding myself accountable, after all.)

Had a great conversation today with an old friend who I hadn't personally connected with in a long while. I have to say, it was one of the best conversations I've had with someone in years. (I've always had a weak spot for bright men, what can I say. Thus, the title of today's post.) :-)

Why do I mention it? ... 'Cause it was the highlight of my day.